United States Office of Water EPA-821-F-06-011
Environmental Protection Agency 4304T December 2006
Final 2006 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan
EPA is publishing a plan and schedule for its industrial wastewater regulations. These
effluent regulations will improve water quality by controlling pollutant discharges from
industrial sources. The plan itself does not establish any new requirements for any
businesses.
Background on Effluent Guidelines Plan
EPA publishes an Effluent Guidelines Program Plan ("Plan") every other year. The Plan
is required by Section 304(m) of the Clean Water Act. EPA published the preliminary
2006 Plan for public comment on August 29, 2005. The Agency received 61 comments
from a variety of commenters.
Background on Effluent Guidelines
Effluent guidelines are national regulations that control the discharge of pollutants to
surface waters and to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). Effluent guidelines are
specific to an industry. EPA writes effluent guidelines for all types of industrial
discharges — from manufacturing, agricultural, and service industries.
The effluent guidelines program is one of EPA's most successful environmental
protection programs. Effluent guidelines have helped reverse the water quality
degradation that accompanied industrialization in this country. These regulations reduce
the discharge of pollutants that have serious environmental impacts, including pollutants
that:
" kill or impair fish and other aquatic organisms;
>• cause health problems through contaminated water, fish, or shellfish; and
> degrade aquatic ecosystems
EPA has already issued effluent guidelines for 56 industries. These regulations have
prevented the discharge of more than 1.2 billion pounds of toxic pollutants each year.
Summary of Plan
This notice first presents EPA's 2006 review of existing effluent guidelines. Second, it
presents our evaluation of indirect dischargers without pretreatment standards to identify
potential new categories for national pretreatment standards. Pretreatment standards are
Clean Water Act technology-based controls that regulate industrial discharges before they
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enter sewage treatment facilities and then enter surface waters. Third, this notice presents
the final 2006 Plan as required under CWA section 304(m). This includes establishing a
schedule for the annual review and revision of promulgated effluent guidelines and for
identifying industrial categories without effluent guidelines that might need to be
regulated to prevent or control pollution. EPA reviewed all existing effluent limitations
guidelines and standards and did not identify any industry sector for an effluent
guidelines rulemaking.
This notice also describes EPA's preliminary thoughts concerning its 2007 annual
reviews under CWA sections 304(b) and 307(b) and solicits comments, data and
information to assist EPA in performing these reviews. EPA will conduct more focused
detailed reviews in the 2007 and 2008 annual reviews for a select number of industrial
sectors as part of the 2008 Plan: Steam Electric Power Generating, Coal Mining, Health
Services, and Coalbed Methane Extraction, which is part of the Oil and Gas Extraction
industrial category.
Finally, this notice details how EPA incorporates elements from the draft Strategy for
National Clean Water Industrial Regulations, which EPA first solicited public comment
on November 29, 2002, and again on August 29, 2005, into its effluent guidelines
reviews and planning.
Further Information
For more information about this action, you can contact Mr. Carey A. Johnston at (202)
566-1014 at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Engineering
and Analysis Division (4303T), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. or
you can send an e-mail to johnston.carey@epa.gov.
You can view or download the complete text of the Federal Register notice on the
Internet at www.epa.gov/guide/plan.html. To find more information supporting the final
Plan, visit EPA's electronic docket at www.regulations.gov, searching for Docket ID No.
EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0032.
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